"Habitats," a collaborative improvisational performance of dance, music, light and visual imagery, will be presented at Denison University at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (March 29-31) in the Burke Hall Black Box Theater. Presented with funding support from the Vail Series, tickets are available to the general public at $10 per person by calling (740) 587-6712.

The five artists working on the dramatic improvisational work include: Sandra Mathern-Smith, associate professor of dance at Denison and a two-time Ohio Arts Council fellow; David Beadle, an internationally known performer/choreographer; Greg Cattelier, a lighting designer from Columbus; Claudia Howard Queen, an assistant professor and resident musician at Denison and an award-winning composer; and Ronald Abram, assistant professor of art at Denison and a printmaker. All five artists improvise to create an integrated work that changes from performance to performance.

In 1999, "Habitats" enjoyed successful performances in Chicago and throughout central Ohio. The original "Habitats" has been transformed to take advantage of the environment of the Burke Theater - adapting "Habitats" to the habitat. "Habitats" mixes media (dance, music, visuals, set and light design) in a dramatic improvisational work. Visuals by Abram are projected on hanging surfaces, defining the setting and seamlessly switching between foreground and background.

Mathern-Smith, Beadle, Cattelier and Queen have been working together improvisationally for the past five years. Abram joined them recently. The group's first major work together was "Anatomy of Memory" in May of 1997.

Additional funding for the performance was supplied by the John W. Alford Foundation for Service Learning and the University's departments of dance, theatre and art.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575